The rich variety of foods that we love in Upstate New York are on full display in the month of September. There are food festivals from one corner of the region to the other making this month a "foodies delight."

Starting right out of the chute on Labor Day Weekend, there is a food festival of some type somewhere in Upstate New York every few days. Some of these are generic, like the Saugerties Food Truck Festival, some of these are ethnic such as the German festival called Oktoberfest on the Farm, and some of the festivals pay tribute to the harvest of a particular region. And these are the most fun.

It is amazing the number harvest crops that get their own festivals. How about the Margaretville Cauliflower Festival? It is on this list, and the little Northern Catskills village of Margaretville really puts on a party! Or how about the Lowville Cream Cheese Festival? This small town in the Tug Hill Plateau of Northern New York is home to the largest cream cheese manufacturing plant in the world, so it is natural that they throw a party each year to honor the town's largest employer.

And then there is the Buffalo Chicken Wing Festival. This is no neighborhood block party, either. Over 100,000 chicken wing fans will descend on the city of Buffalo to eat thousands of pounds of that city's signature appetizer item.

And as for the Grape Festival in Naples? Well, have you ever tried a grape pie? I have and they are a, shall we say, an acquired taste but this festival is the Grape Pie center of the universe during this September event which brings huge crowds to this beautiful Finger Lakes Village.To say that Naples takes their grapes seriously is an understatement. In fact, the village is the only one in the state that has their fire hydrants painted purple to honor their beloved grapes!

So, go ahead a pick a festival. You have to admit. It is quite a line-up!

A Calendar of September 2022 Upstate New York Food Festivals

With the end of the summer near, many great food and harvest festival start filling up our "bucket list calendars" all across Upstate New York. In September you can find festivals dedicated to cauliflower, corn, carrots, grapes, chicken wings, cream cheese, and more. And they are all a blast!